Traditionally, lights have been used by fishermen to accomplish two purposes. For night fishing, lights have been attached to the bobber so that the fishermen could see when there was a hit on the line. For example, the Nite Brite™ lighted float utilizes a replaceable lithium polymer battery/LED light.
In addition, lights and luminous means have been used in conjunction with hooks and lures to attract fish especially in turbid or low light water conditions. U.S. Pat. No. 3,940,868 to Northcutt discloses a fishing lure with a light source mounted to the shank of the hook. The light source, an LED, is attached to a power source which is separately mounted, on the fishing line. Such a construction requires the separate mounting of the power source, a step which is inconvenient for the fisherman. In addition, attaching the battery to the line may cause fraying, crimping or damage to the line, which might increase the risk of line breakage. This is especially important when fishing for large trophy fish which may apply stress on line which approaches the maximum load that the line can withstand.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,495,690 to Hunt describes an electronic lure having a light source which is mounted to the shank of the hook. The lighted lure of Hunt also requires a mounting plate for the battery, and biasing means to hold the battery to the mounting plate, both of which are provided on the shank of the hook. The battery mounting plate dictates the shape of lure, and has nothing to do with attractiveness to fish. In addition, the mounting plate prevents use of the hook with a wide variety of bait, and especially with artificial plastic bait having a preformed channel therethrough, for stringing the bait along the shank of the hook. The fishermen is required to assemble the battery with the light source before commencing fishing.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,318,016 to Ellig describes a luminous fishing lure using a fiber-optic tube comprising a fluorescent dye polymer to simulate the lateral line of a bait fish and/or a luminous fish eye. The fluorescent light polymer requires a natural light source and hence is of limited usefulness at night or in turbid or other low light water conditions.